Poisons

UK Prime Minister Theresa May has told parliament that a military-grade nerve agent was used in an attack on former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal. May says the substance used belongs to the Novichok group of nerve agents, but what are Nivochok agents and what do they do?

​How is it that some frogs are able to flush toxins through their bodies that poison would-be predators without causing any harm to themselves? Scientists have pinpointed the mechanism that enables some types of frog to dodge the danger.

Current snake antivenom might not be saving lives as efficiently as it could, given that they’re difficult and expensive to produce, distribute and administer. Now, researchers have developed a synthetic alternative with a long shelf-life that can neutralize venom from several species of snakes.

They may look innocuous, but jellyfish can pack a serious sting. There has long been a debate whether it's best to treat jellyfish stings with heat or cold, and now a team from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa claims to have reached a definitive answer.

Thousands of wild animals, pets and children are poisoned by drinking automotive antifreeze/coolant every year. Now, however, scientists have replaced its poisonous ingredient with another compound that's not only safe, but that also improves the performance of the antifreeze.

The standard test for determining cyanide exposure currently takes 24 hours. Now, however, a scientist at South Dakota State University has developed a sensor that detects cyanide within a blood sample in just 70 seconds.

When a snake-bite victim shows up at a hospital, it's vitally important for caregivers to know what species of snake bit them. Making that ID could one day be much easier, thanks to a current study in which species were reliably identified via snake DNA obtained from bite wounds.

In a perfect world, cigarette waste simply wouldn't exist. Given that it does, though, scientists have explored a number of methods of repurposing it. Now, researchers have shown that cigarette ash can be used as a low-cost means of filtering arsenic from water supplies.